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Tag: aleksandar duric

  • Lim Teck Yin’s Fan Criticism Unfair

    Lim Teck Yin’s Fan Criticism Unfair

    Football fans, former internationals, as well as the community, were divided yesterday as they responded to criticism that Singaporeans are fair-weather supporters of the national team.

    This came in the wake of comment on Wednesday by Sport Singapore’s chief executive, Lim Teck Yin, who said that the time had come for fans here to show their mettle and come out in force to support them during the SEA Games.

    Some felt the comment was too harsh and that they had the right to expect commitment from players, whether they were the Lions or the under-23 side, to win matches.

    Both the Lions and the under-23 side have lost a string of matches in the run-up to the World Cup qualifiers and the Games in June.

    “I feel that, though he meant well, (Lim) was a little harsh with his words. It is almost as though he feels nobody really supports local football,” said Ian Ding, 24-year-old Lions fan.

    Deepanraj Valluvan, 19, said fans had a right to feel disappointed when their sides do not perform to expectations.

    “Fans do go through highs and lows in supporting the team, but this doesn’t mean we can’t expect a win,” he said. “As fans, we want our team to go as far as they can succeed.

    “The SEA Games are no different and we want to make sure our country performs and we will be cheering for them whether they win or lose. But we do have a certain level of expectations from our national teams and are be disappointed if they don’t meet them.”

    Win or lose, Kumaravel Selvom will be behind the team when they kick off their SEA Games campaign. He told TODAY: “Any sport, and especially football, thrives with supporting fans. Whether it’s a team at its best or worst, it will always be good to know that there are people watching and hoping the best for you.”

    Former national and S-League footballers whom TODAY spoke to were also divided.

    Aleksandar Duric remembered only too well the fickle support from fans. They were solidly behind the Lions in their triumphant years in the Suzuki Cup in 1998, 2004, 2007 and 2012, but he felt the desertion when they were knocked out of the group stages of the 2010 tournament.

    This, he said, can have an adverse effect on young athletes, especially the under-23 side heading for the coming SEA Games.

    “I agree with Teck Yin totally. I only retired recently from football, and I know our fans very well, and they like it when we are winning. But this is not good, and the mentality of Singapore fans is something we wish we can change.

    “If you are a fan, you should follow your team all the way, win or lose, and you share their happiness and sorrows. These are young boys and they need our support. Singaporeans should back our young athletes, because they need it. There is no better chance to do that than at the SEA Games, right here in front of the home crowd.”

    However, former S-League player and coach Shasi Kumar said the players needed to improve to get fans back in the stadium. “You cannot blame the fans as well, because we had a really poor run of results,” he said. “How can a fan stand by their team without feeling disappointment or even angry when we cannot even beat a team like Guam, and (we) lose to Syria? It is a chicken and egg situation, because at the moment, the team is not performing, and fans are understandably disillusioned.”

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • Aleksandar Duric: Thank You and Goodbye

    Aleksandar Duric: Thank You and Goodbye

    “It is hard to put my thoughts into one letter, but I needed to bid a proper farewell to my football family. The Singapore football family.

    Friday will be one of the saddest days of my life. It is all coming to an end. A beautiful dream that I could never have imagined growing up as a boy from a small town in Doboj, Yugoslavia.

    The moment the final whistle goes, I know the memories will start flooding into my mind, the hundreds of matches I played, the different goals I scored and the heartbreaking moments when my team lost.

    I still remember when I first set foot in Singapore in 1999, I reported for training with Tanjong Pagar United FC at Queenstown Stadium and I asked one of my new teammates, “OK, so this is the training ground, so where is the stadium we play at?”

    He stared at me blankly for a minute and we both couldn’t stop laughing at my silly question that I am still embarrassed about today. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that, 16 years later at the young age of 44, I will end my career in the very same league with 321 goals, 16 domestic titles and eight individual awards.

    While my club career was important to me, my proudest and biggest moment was when I received my Singapore citizenship in October 2007 and was called up by Coach Raddy [Radojko Avramovic] for the national team at the age of 37. I scored both goals in my first game against Tajikistan in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier on my debut. It still sends shivers down my spine when I talk about it now.

    That will be etched in my mind as the proudest moment of my life, apart from the birth of my kids Isabella Nina, Alessandro Hugo and seeing my adopted son Massimo Luca growing up each day.

    Duric with his three kids Bella, Alessandro and Massimo when he won the S.League title back in 2013 .
    I have enjoyed every single moment of this career and I cannot tell you how much emotions I have gone through. The sadness of losing league titles, to the joy of lifting my first ASEAN trophy with the Lions in 2012.

    Having played for 15 different club sides, my 24 goals in 53 appearances for the national team will be my biggest take away from the game. I sweat blood and tears for Singapore, and I would give everything to do it all over again.

    All I want now is for somebody to remember me as a decent player, who was humble both on and off the pitch, who tried my very best and gave everything to the clubs I played for and the pride I had wearing the Singapore jersey.

    For the rest of my life, I will live another dream. The dream of giving back to the country that has given me so much. That is why I decided to adopt Massimo and I will now focus on helping Southeast Asian kids fulfill their dreams of playing professional football, scoring goals like I did and have a better life.

    Please forgive me if I cannot hold back my tears on Friday night, but the emotions I am going to experience will be something I cannot describe.

    It is hard to sum it all up in one sentence but I thank each and every one of the coaches, players and fans who have treated me like one of their own. For making my life so beautiful and rich in memories.

    Now it is time for me to take my seat in the stands and cheer Singapore on and I am excited to finally have the chance to chant with the fans and do the Kallang wave as a die-hard supporter.

    So with this, I sign off my football playing career and I ask of you to remember me, the tall old striker who loves Singapore, my home.

    Thank you S.League, thank you Singapore and thank you my fellow Singaporeans. From a decent striker, a loving father and most importantly, a son of the Lion City.”

    Aleksandar Duric

    Duric was speaking to ESPN FC’s Kelvin Leong

    Source: www.espnfc.com/blog/football-asia